Bondowoso Regency is a landlocked regency in East Java, Indonesia.[2] It covers an area of 1,518.77 km2, and had a population of 736,772 at the 2010 Census[3] and 776,151 at the 2020 Census;[4] the official estimate as of mid-2022 was 781,417 (comprising 384,676 males and 396,741 females).[1] The most common languages are Madurese and Javanese, although Madurese is the majority. The nearest large city is Surabaya, approximately five hour's drive away.
The administrative centre of the regency is the provincial town of Bondowoso, after which the regency is named. Common in most provincial towns is a park in the city centre, called "Alun-Alun"; Bondowoso is no exception. In the backdrop of the park is a view of a mountain ("gunung").
Tourist spots include Kawah Ijen, a crater lake. Kawah Ijen is managed jointly by two local governments, Bondowoso Regency and Banyuwangi Regency.[5] In addition to the crater, other tourist destinations in Bondowoso are Tancak Kembar in Pakem and Air Terjun Belawan Sempol. A hike or climb to the crater takes around 1.5 to 3 hours.[citation needed] Other spots are Gunung Merapi and waterfalls.
Bondowoso town is known for its dessert, "tape" (pronounced "tah-peh"), to the extent that it is named "Tape city". Tape is tapioca with a kind of flour added that acts as a preservative. Medium-sized slices of tape are wrapped in banana leaves and kept in a light container for five days to be fermented before being consumed.
There has been an Arabic community living in the area for some time, since before the Dutch occupation. They live in a place called "Kampung Arab" (Arabs Compound) on Imam Bonjol Street.[citation needed]
Administrative districts
The Regency is divided into twenty-three districts (kecamatan), tabulated below with their areas and their population totals from the 2010 Census[3] and the 2020 Census,[4] together with the official estimates as of mid 2022.[1] The former Sempol District, in the far southeast of the regency, which contains the crater lake of Kawah Ijen, has been renamed Ijen District; unlike the rest of the regency, which lies on the other side of the Ijen Mountain Range, it drains towards the Bali Strait. The table also includes the locations of the district headquarters the number of administrative villages in each district (totaling 209 rural desa and 10 urban kelurahan), and its postcodes.
Kode Wilayah
Name of District (kecamatan)
Area in km2
Pop'n Census 2010
Pop'n Census 2020
Pop'n Estimate mid 2022
Admin centre
No. of villages
Post codes
35.11.01
Maesan
58.45
45,824
48,076
48,361
Maesan
12
68262
35.11.06
Grujugan
58.35
34,381
37,114
37,540
Taman
11
68261
35.11.02
Tamanan
30.87
35,621
38,414
38,848
Tamanan
9
68263
35.11.23
Jambesari Darus Sholah
27.62
33,723
36,086
36,439
Jambesari
9
68261 & 68263 (a)
35.11.05
Pujer
38.33
37,600
40,226
40,167
Kejayan
11
68271
35.11.03
Tlogosari
109.68
44,033
45,704
45,879
Pakisan
10
68272
35.11.04
Sukosari
26.18
14,987
15,527
15,581
Sukosari Lor
4
68287
35.11.18
Sumberwringin
151.88
32,945
34,231
34,369
Sumberwringin
6
68289
35.11.10
Tapen
60.51
33,072
34,040
34,115
Tapen
9
68283
35.11.09
Wonosari
37.83
38,498
39,762
39,876
Wonosari
12
68282
35.11.08
Tenggarang
25.76
39,874
42,639
43,050
Tenggarang
12 (b)
68281
35.11.11
Bondowoso (town)
22.84
70,963
76,422
77,263
Dabasah
11 (c)
68211 - 68219
35.11.07
Curahdami
51.30
31,376
33,140
33,380
Curahdami
12 (b)
68250
35.11.20
Binakal
39.10
15,173
17,030
17,356
Binakal
8
68251
35.11.17
Pakem
60.01
21,352
23,108
23,385
Patemon
8
68253
35.11.12
Wringin
55.18
39,423
40,076
40,068
Wringin
13
68252
35.11.13
Tegalampel
33.62
24,483
26,161
26,409
Sekarputih
8 (b)
68292
35.11.21
Taman Krocok
44.57
16,237
16,711
16,748
Taman Krocok
7
68291
35.11.14
Klabang
74.93
18,413
18,378
18,316
Klabang
11
68284
35.11.19
Ijen
215.66
11,252
11,896
11,984
Ijen
6
68288
35.11.22
Botolinggo
126.82
28,801
29,937
30,060
Lumutan
8
68284 - 68285
35.11.16
Prajekan
52.77
25,116
25,581
25,585
Prajekan Lor
7
68285
35.11.15
Cermee
116.51
43,625
45,892
46,188
Cernee
15
68286 (d)
Totals
1,518.77
736,772
776,151
781,417
Bondowoso
219
Notes: (a) except for the desa of Pengarang, which has a postcode of 68271. (b) including one kelurahan (the district administrative centre). (c) comprises 7 kelurahan (Badean, Blindungan, Dabasah, Kademangan, Kota Kulon, Nangkaan and Tamansari) and 4 desa. (d) except for the desa of Grujugan, which has a postcode of 68261.
Megalithic artifacts
There are more than 1000 megalithic artifacts found in the villages around Bondowoso, such as menhirs (standing stones), sarcophagi, statues, dolmens (lying stones or tomb tables), and caves. A common megalith type found in Indonesia is the batu kenong with a shape resembling a local musical instrument. The Bondowoso Regency contains up to 400 batu kenong, the highest concentration in Indonesia. An easily accessible location with a wide variety of megaliths is the Pekauman Site at kilometer 8 on the Jember-Bondowoso road.[6]
Climate
Bondowoso has a tropical monsoon climate (Am) with moderate to little rainfall from May to October and heavy to very heavy rainfall from November to April.
Indonesia
